Conventionally, a high-speed molding line such as the vertical flaskless molding line described in Patent Document 1 is required to pour molten metal at high speed. One example of the pouring equipment that is suitable for high-speed pouring is stopper-type pouring equipment. For example, the stopper-type pouring equipment disclosed in Patent Document 2 opens and closes a nozzle for pouring provided at the bottom of a ladle by a stopper (stopper rod). The molten metal is held and stored in the ladle when the nozzle for pouring is closed by the stopper. The molten metal is poured from the ladle into a sprue of a mold that is placed below the nozzle when the nozzle for pouring is opened by the stopper.
But the stopper type pouring equipment has problems in that often an impure substance adheres to the stopper or a bleeder occurs because of the wear of the stopper. Further, time and money must be taken to maintain the equipment so as to repair or replace the stopper. One method to avoid these problems is that pouring equipment of a type other than the stopper-type can be used. For example, tilting-type automatic pouring equipment that pours molten metal into a mold by tilting a ladle can be used. However, the pouring equipment that adopts the conventional tilting method cannot pour the molten metal at high speed. Further, the tilting type automatic pouring equipment should also achieve an appropriate pouring while it pours the molten metal at high speed.